11.29.2007

listening to: discovery.muhsinah

the semester is coming close to the end. i'm behind in my writing class (still!), but after getting rave reviews on my latest essay, i'm fired up and ready to finish the rest of my work. i basically have 8 papers to write between now and next wednesday. luckily, they're all 5 paragraph essays, so it shouldn't take me long to complete.

my last craft fair of the season/year is this saturday. i've been buying display items and planning how i'm going to best use my space. if only i had the room in my apartment to do a "booth dress rehearsal". i'm not freaking out about it anymore, but i did have some crazy pre-show jitters last week.

i'm currently reading the artist's way (my third attempt). i've heard from other creative folks how much this book has benefitted them. my friend z and i are working thru it together. so far, so good. we're on week two. i've been contemplating what i'm doing for my artist date this week. lord knows i don't have much time to do any recreational sewing, but sewing kept popping up into my head. i want to start my builty by wendy dress. i've never cut out a pattern before and that's been holding me back all of this time. i'd really like to wear it on christmas day.

11.26.2007

listening to: sun ra:"cosmic swing".npr jazz profiles podcast

how was your holiday? mine was cool. i spent it with my fam. i had a nice talk with my parents and attempted to make some vegan goodness for my oldest daughter. i had envisioned this tasty meal with her eating every bite. that didn't happen. i cooked the smokey grilled tempeh, sauteed collards (actually spinach), and cheater baked beans from veganomicon: the ultimate vegan cookbook. the tempeh was bitter and not good at all (it was my first time cooking/eating tempeh - i ended up cooking tofu instead), the spinach was okay, and the beans had too much garlic in them (i must use regular tomato sauce next time). overall, the meal was eatable (minus the tempeh) but it just wasn't spectacular like i was hoping. that's the way it goes sometimes. my kitchen is about to be turned into a test kitchen. i'm going to experiment with the recipes in vcon and others i have.

last night i prepared the veggie burger mix from vegan with a vengeance and cooked up a couple patties this morn. that's my lunch today and i can't wait to dig in (these are good!). i'm not giving up on tempeh just yet. i just have to find the right recipe for it.

enjoy the day!

11.19.2007

flower


flower
Originally uploaded by butta.fly

the picture is a little blurry (took it with my cameraphone), but i absolutely love how this brooch turned out. i think i'm going to add big flower brooches to my wardrobe.

hair wrap


hair wrap
Originally uploaded by butta.fly

listening to: ask yourself.raheem devaughn



i am so excited by the responses i received to my previous post! even though i know people are reading this here blog, in my mind i think nobody is. so thank you for the kind words. i appreciate it.

i was in another craft fair over the weekend. i didn't do so well. two hats were sold. TWO. i was disappointed, but! i was also thankful for the compliments i received. retail is fickle and a lot of time i'm left wondering where my target market is in this city. i know my folks are out there. i do better at the hippie/reggae fests and i get a lot of business from out of state. anyway, i've spent the last couple of days analyzing and reworking my gameplan. i've got one more show dec. 1 and it will be me and only me (i've been sharing booth space with other artists). i'm feeling the pressure and really want to do well.

i got my hair wrapped while at the fair. my booth mate does beautiful wire work and i asked her to wrap my hair for me. we were both really happy with the results. i love adding charms to my locs. this piece is by far my favorite.

i really hope you are having a great day.
thanks for reading.

11.14.2007

dear blog,

the clouds have cleared enough to let the sun shine through. he's already setting. soon it will be dark and i will be wishing to see the stars.

the weekend blessed me. blessed. me. i met the most beautiful women over the weekend. both are artists living off of their art. both are living full lives. both have left me thinking about my life, my dreams, my future. i will be 33 soon. things gotta change. that's all i know. i believe 2008 will be a huge year for me.

i've got visions dancing in my head. i wake up in the morning full of ideas. i can't contain them all. i guess it's time to put it all on paper (shoulda done that ages ago). it's time to start believing in my SELF.

11.09.2007

i am looking forward to the three day weekend. lil miss will be in school on monday and i get to do whatever i want. i love days like that.

11.07.2007

remix 11/7


remix 11/7
Originally uploaded by butta.fly



this is my outfit for today. i really love it...because 1. the majority of it i got from thrifting, and 2. i feel comfortable with my size.

since i began documenting my outfits, i've been more open to experimenting with different proportions. it's made me realize that i've put so many restrictions on myself without being aware of it.

i thrifted this skirt yesterday. i was so excited when i found it. it fits perfectly and came with a cute belt. i got the woven flats from ramona west on etsy (she sells vintage goods - the shoes are from the 70s).

five years ago i would've have thought this was an "old lady" outfit. but i see now that it comes down to fit and how i feel in an outfit. finding a good fit has been an issue for me for a while now and accepting my size has been another. i feel confident, sexy, and gosh darnit feminine ( i can't believe i said gosh darnit. lol).

it's a new day y'all.

meet carrot


carrot
Originally uploaded by butta.fly

adara wanted to show off her new friend. she named him mr. carrot yellow bunny. isn't that a great name?

11.05.2007

i talked to my friend this morning and she told me that we won't be doing the craft fair this weekend. i was so relieved. it just dawned on me last night that the fair was THIS WEEKEND. i've made some things, but not much. turns out, she and our other friend are in the same boat. plus, money and personal issues are involved as well. so now i have a little more time to plan BETTER for the fair next weekend.

i'm looking forward to the holiday season to be over and done with. i realized earlier in the summer that if i plan on doing more than one fair a season, i gotta have TONS of product made. i'm figuring it all out though and i'm having fun in the process.

last night's dinner was spaghetti with "twisty noodles" (aka egg noodles in adara speak). i used smart grounds ground tvp and 2 cans of diced tomatoes with sweet onions & garlic and 1 can of tomato paste (i was out of sauce). it was real simple to make and the sweetness of the sauce added a little zing to the meal. i gotta include more veggies into my diet though. i've fallen off big time.

right now i'm:
learning to use the franklin-covey planner i got at the time management workshop i went to a couple of weeks ago.
playing with my style of dress. it's been a liberating experience so far (still have a long way to go).
learning how to take better photos. i don't have the best camera (it's so old), but i'm learning to use what i've got.

it's a beautiful day! (as adara would say)
enjoy!

11.03.2007

working...


grnbrnsk
Originally uploaded by butta.fly



i'm in the middle of making hats and taking photos of my works to post in the shop.

11.02.2007

i've been tagged

7 Random Facts! Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog
I have been tagged by cici

1. when i was in the second grade, i was runner up in a spelling bee. i mispelled the word MINSTREL. i still have my silver medal.

2. i heart barbara streisand. i haven't seen all of her movies, but don't let the owl and the pussy cat or funny face be on. i go into a zone and will completely ignore you while i'm watching it.

3. i do not like people touching any new magazines i've bought UNTIL i've read them first.

4. i'm left handed.

5. i like eating my popcorn with parmasean cheese sprinkled on it. i used to fold american cheese slices into little strips and then individually wrap them around my popcorn. i stopped doing it because it became too time consuming.

6. i looooove eating pineapple slices out of a can. i don't do it often, but i feel like a rebel when i do. my mom used to always yell at me when i did it at home. when i got my first apartment, i ate my pineapple in peace, in my own kitchen, at 2AM! ha! in your face ma'! lol.

7. i bite my nails. when i'm not biting my nails, i'm picking at my fingers. it's an obsessive compulsive thing. once i start, i can't stop. it's a nasy habit and i'm able to kick it every once in a while. it comes down to stress and anxiety and i can usually guage how stressed or anxious i am by how bad my fingers look. ha! i once i had a guy that was interested in me tell me (after looking at my hands) that he likes his woman to have nice looking hands. i wasn't interested in him and said, "well, i'm not the woman for you then."

listening to: karma police. citizen cope from the radiodread compilation

last nite, i made the super-easy cheesy no-boil lasagna from vegweb. WOW! talk about cheesy goodness! it was my first time using a tofurky product and i was pleased. even lil miss loved it. we will probably be eating this the whole weekend.

my first show is the 9th-11th. i gotta get crackin' on the knitting and crocheting. i still feel like there aren't enough hours in the day (with school added to the mix). i also need to get some more stuff added in the store. my goal for the month is to get 15 sales. gotta have product available to accomplish that goal.

i made the pledge to buy handmade this christmas season. i've been pretty much making my gifts for the last three years. but i will be buying some of the handmade gifts this time around. there are so many talented people on etsy, i gotta give some of them my support. i have to admit though, i've been a shopping fiend lately (etsy is da bomb!). it's just nice to have an outlet to get one of a kind, handmade, crafty goodness.

anyway, this weekend's activities will include doing some homework, knitting, crocheting, and taking lil miss to see the bee movie. i might do some thrifting too (something else i've (re)discovered).

enjoy the day!
love.

11.01.2007


nwpinks5
Originally uploaded by butta.fly



this is one of the neckwarmers i made recently. i've got one more almost finished.